A Ghoulish Treat

(CW: Mild Language, Violence, Blood, and Gore.)

“How does it fit?” asked Mary, peering over her thick rimmed glasses to get a good look at her daughter’s Halloween costume.

Ana ran her small hands down the silky, pink princess dress and padded the peplum with eager blue eyes. “It feels good, Mommy!”

“Fantastic!” Mary said, lifting her brow. “It was the last one in your size and I know how badly you wanted it.”

Ana twerked her lips to the left and replied, “Everyone is dressing in superhero costumes this year, but I’m not into that kind of stuff. A princess is noble…kind…sweet…and beautiful!”

“Indeed you are!” Mary beamed.

“But…” Ana’s voice trailed off.

Mary knelt down and matched Ana’s gaze. “What is it, sweetheart?”

Ana’s eyes danced away from her mother’s determined gaze until they found a comforting spot on the kitchen floor to ease her troubling thoughts.

“Come on now… What is it? You can tell me anything.”

“It’s…well…you know…Daddy…”

Mary’s mind flashed back to the day her husband, Mark, died in a horrible car accident on his way home from work. The past nine months had been a whirlwind of emotions, but life went on. Mary and Ana took that journey one step at a time. One day at a time.

Casting the grief stricken memory aside, Mary spoke in a calm reassuring voice. “I…know this will be the first year going trick r’ treating without your father, but you’ll be just fine.”

Ana lifted her eyes and asked, “Can you miss work and go with me?”

“I would love to, but I have to be in court tomorrow. There are a lot of things to go over with the team before we start and you know how I like to be prepared. Winning this case just might be the big break I need for that promotion.”

“But I’m only twelve years old!” Ana protested.

“Old enough to go by yourself this year,” Mary gruffed. “Besides…as long as you stay on this block you’ll be just fine and you can meet up with your friends along the way.”

Ana pursed her lips. “My friends don’t live on this block!”

“Come on Ana! What about Sara-Jay? She lives just two houses down on the left.”

“Eww!” Ana huffed. “Sara-Jay is NOT my friend! She likes to pick her nose and wipe her boogers on everyone!”

Mary inhaled deeply and slowly released her tension. “Listen… Beale Street is the safest suburb in the entire state. Like I said, as long as you stay on this block, I feel perfectly fine with you going out by yourself. Just think of all that yummy candy you will get.”

“Ugh! Fine.”

“Great!” Mary said with a firm smile. “Now, you’d better get going. It’s almost six—and don’t forget your pumpkin bucket. I need to be on my way as well.”

Ana grabbed her Halloween bucket and marched out the front door. As she watched her mother drive away, a half smile filled her face when she heard her shout, “I love you! Be safe, I’ll be back as soon as I can!”

Every house in the neighborhood was decorated with inflatable ghosts, sparkling lights, and glowing jack o’lanterns. In fact, the varying displays of fright were the only things that differentiated the homes because without the gloomy decor, they would all look the same. Ana leaned her head back and slammed her hands on her hips. How ironic the season of evil would soon give way to the season of Christmas delight. All the Halloween splendor would soon be replaced with sparkling Christmas trees and singing Santa’s.

All of a sudden, a small group of trick r’ treaters passed Ana on the sidewalk in front of her driveway giggling at the haul they had in their buckets. The commotion broke Ana’s train of thought. Tommy Boule was wearing a skeleton costume and his best buddies, Frank Leary and Tim Tosca were dressed as Iron Man and Captain America.

“Hey Ana, is that your costume? The 80’s called and they want a refund!”

“Shut up, Tommy!” Ana snarled. “Cujo wouldn’t even chew on your skeleton outfit!”

Ana grew silent when she heard Frank and Tim ask, “Who’s Cujo?!”

As the misfits giggled their way out of sight, Ana was eager to see what treats the night had in store. “I guess I better get going,” she said to herself. “Well, Dad…I guess you’re with me in spirit…at least….”

Ana’s first stop was Mrs. Jenkins’ house. Her yard was full of glowing pumpkins and styrofoam gravestones. When Mrs. Jenkins opened her door, Ana boomed, “Trick or treat!”

“My, my,” Mrs. Jenkins glowed, “look how beautiful you are.” She held out a black cauldron filled to the brim with Kit-Kat bars. Not the small fun size bars most people buy in a convenient value bag—no—these were full size bars!

“Go on, Darlin' help yourself,” she said. “You’re so pretty, you deserve an extra treat. Most kids I’ve seen tonight are dressed as that…Dumerman…?”

“You mean Superman,” Ana corrected.

“Yes, yes, that’s the one.”

Ana grabbed two Kit-Kat bars and left with a: “Thank you.”

When she returned to the sidewalk Tommy Boule emerged from behind Mrs. Jenkins metal trash can with a mighty growl. Ana’s heart skipped a beat and fell to the pit of her stomach where it floated on a yellow lifeboat in a river of bile. As Ana’s backside hit the pavement, she heard the other kids laughing in the distance and quickly rose to her feet. She patted the dirt off her dress and gathered her composure.

“What have you got there?! Kit-Kats!” Tommy reached into Ana’s pumpkin bucket and snatched them like a thief in the night.

Tommy ran back to his fellow culprits and disappeared from sight. Their wicked laughter filled Ana’s soul with anger.

“How could you…TOMMY!”

Ana hung her head low and dragged her feet further down the sidewalk. The night was still youthful and her Halloween bucket was hungry for candy, so it was time to see Mr. Higgins next.

“Why is she so saaad?”

Ana froze dead in her tracks when she heard the long drawn out question. “Who’s there?”

“Tis me, tis me, that is who it tis!”

After three head twirls, Ana didn’t see anyone. Most of the trick r’ treaters were further down the sidewalk, so it wasn’t them—and it certainly wasn’t Tommy and his ragtime gang of deviants because Ana could see them teasing the other kids down the street.

“Where are you?”

“Me is here…”

Ana turned to Mr. Higgins’ thick bushes that surrounded his house like a poisonous jungle and saw bristling leaves in the distance. As she tiptoed closer she saw a clawed foot trembling beneath the hedges like a frightened rodent.

“Why are you hiding?” Ana asked. “Come out so I can see you.”

“Oh, but you might be afraid when you see me horrible appearance.”

“Don’t be silly. I don’t judge people by the way they look.”

After a brief moment of silence, and a few shrill huffs and puffs, a dark green-skinned creature stepped out from the thick vegetation. There were pulsating boils riddled throughout its hairless body and the horrendous stench of sulfur burned Ana’s nostrils. The strange critter was short, standing at only five foot two inches. It had yellow bulbous eyes and long lanky arms with sharp claws at the end of its fingertips. Resting like a hungry crow on its black lips roosted a set of razor-edged serrated teeth that would make Tommy Boule pee his pants.

“That’s a cool costume!” Ana beamed.

“Costume…?”

Ana smiled. “Yeah, that’s the best Halloween costume I’ve ever seen.” She pinched her nose and continued, “But you should really lay off the rotten egg perfume if you wanna get a lot of candy this year.”

“What is…candy?” the creature asked with a gleeful wisp.

“Stop pulling my leg, silly!” Ana mused. “Why are you hiding in the bushes? Did Tommy get to you too?”

The lizard-like organism shook its head. “No…no. Me was left behind by me kin in order to come into me own by doing a special task. But…me does not know what that means.”

“You talk funny,” laughed Ana. “Well, I would help you find them, but I’m not supposed to leave the block. Mom’s orders!”

“Me understands. Maybe me can come with you until me kin shows up…but me does not wish to be a burden on thee.”

Ana turned, then turned again. As she looked upon the creature, her heart wept like a newborn babe. Just then, her father’s words blew through her mind like a raging hurricane….

In a world full of hate, a small act of kindness can change the world.

“If you promise not to get me into any trouble, you can come with me for a bit,” Ana proclaimed.

The creature raised its slender arms and twirled around. “Yippie! Me knew you was a good thingy. Let us be off, the night is hungry for us!”

“What did you say?!”

“Oh…uh…me misspoke. Me means, the night is waiting for us!”

Ana extended her hand and said, “Okay, if you say so, but let’s go. Time is wasting.”

“Trick or treat, Mr. Higgins!”

Mr. Higgins just had cataract surgery so he couldn’t see all that well. “Hmm, I recognize that voice! Is that you, Ana?”

Ana smiled and said, “Yes it is!”

“And who is your friend?”

The creature spun his eyes around and bit his inky lips.

“I think he’s new to the area,” Ana admitted. “He’s trying to find his kin, so I said he could tag with me for a bit.”

“Oh, well that’s nice, deary. You’re always doing kind acts!” He threw a butterscotch candy in her bucket and handed one to the slimy creature. “Here you go, I know it’s not much this year, but with those damned crooked politicians making everything so expensive this year, it’s all I can afford.”

Ana nodded and said, “It’s more than enough. Thank you and Happy Halloween!”

When the kids walked away, Mr. Higgins mumbled, “Damn hooligans, always stealing candy from me every year. They should be locked up!”

Ana led the creature back to the sidewalk and noticed he kept looking at the butterscotch candy like it was an alien creature. “Don’t tell me you’ve never had butterscotch before!”

“Me has not!”

“Well, what are you waiting for? Put it in your mouth, silly.”

The creature popped the candy in his mouth wrapper and all, and after a few swishes and swashes, spat it out with a, “PHOOEY!”

“What are you mental?!” Ana gasped. “You’re supposed to take the wrapper off!”

Before the creature could utter a word, Tommy Boule appeared with his cocky grin and asked, “Who’s this loser?!”

“Go away Tommy, you’ve caused enough trouble for one night!”

“Well, look at you,” Tommy said, pointing his finger in Ana’s face. “Finally found some courage, huh?”

“Shut up—”

“Be quiet, twerp,” Tommy yelled, “I’m not talking to you at the moment.”

Tommy slowly moved his pointed index finger to the creature and said, “I don’t know who you are, but your costume sucks ass! What happened? Did your mommy and daddy pick it up at the Goodwill or something?”

Without turning his head, the creature maneuvered his eyes to Ana and noticed her eyes swelling up with tears. He licked his black lips with a forked gray tongue and turned his attention back to Tommy.

“What do you think you’re doing, huh? You think pipsqueak Ana can help you? WRONG! Now, I know you guys have more candy, probably hidden in your pockets, so give it to me NOW!”

At that moment, the creature opened his mouth and bit Tommy’s index finger clean off. Blood shot out from the stump like a leaky squirt gun.

“AHHH!!” Tommy screamed and fell to his knees holding his hand. His tears were profound like the River Jordan had just run empty and needed to be refilled.

Ana, aghast, popped her eyes wide open and took a few steps back. Her mouth fell to the pavement when she heard a thunderous CRUNCH and Tommy’s voice was suddenly cut off. The creature bit Tommy’s head at the base of his neck and swallowed it with a mighty growl.

“Oh, my…how…could…you…do…that?!” Ana sobbed. The hairs on the back of her neck reached for the dark sky and her knees were like sawed stilts. Microbursts of electricity made her tiny heart beat like a big bass drum and all the color from her flesh grew pale.

“Mmm…” the creature moaned while blood ran down his boiled cheeks. “He tastes much better than that nasty candy. And thanks to your act of kindness, you helped me find me way! Oh, joyous day!!”

As the creature danced on the sidewalk, two grotesque figures emerged from the shadows just behind where Ana stood cowering in fear. They looked identical to the dancing creature in all but height. These monstrosities stood seven feet tall and had hollow voices.

“We knew you would find your way,” said the first creature.

“Yes, we are very proud of you,” said the second. “Now, before we bring utter destruction to this neighborhood you may finish your ghoulish treat!”

The creatures turned their heads in unison toward Ana and laughed as their young son tore her limb from limb. There was nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Only chaos remained.

A few hours later, Ana’s mother, Mary, sped through Beale Street as the houses around her burned. The icy hands of Death wrapped her heart in dread, and as she pulled into her driveway hoping to see her beloved daughter waiting for her, the only greeting she got was the reassurance of hot ash roasting the hood of her Prius.

Suddenly, a small ghoulish creature wearing a pink princess dress jumped on her windshield scratching and crawling like a rabid dog. After a terrifying scream Mary wiped her tears away and covered her ears. The creature’s cackle was deafening….

“ME…”

CRACK!

“ME…”

CRACK!

“ME…ME…ME…ME…MEEEEEE!!!!”